A study published yesterday, Wednesday, showed that speech generates small particles that can remain suspended in the air in a closed space for more than 10 minutes, highlighting the likely role of these particles in spreading the emerging corona virus.
Researchers at the National Institute of Gastroenterology, Diabetes and Kidney in the United States conducted an experiment in which a person spoke loudly, repeating the phrase "preserve your health" for 25 seconds in a closed box.
The laser beams shed on the box showed small particles that could be seen and counted and remained suspended in the air for 12 minutes, according to the study, which was published in the journal "Records of the National Academy of Sciences" in the United States of America.
Given the concentration of the Corona virus in saliva, scientists have estimated that every minute of speaking aloud can generate more than a thousand particles that contain the virus and are able to remain in the air for eight minutes or more indoors.
The researchers concluded that this direct embodiment shows how normal conversations can generate airborne particles, to remain suspended for tens of minutes, and prominently able to transmit disease in confined spaces.
The same team noted that speaking with a louder voice generates fewer particles, in research published in the New England Journal of Medicine in April.